Bowel cancer treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery; basis the stage of the disease doctors determine which procedure will work best.
In some cases, like with prostate cancer, patients may not have any signs in the early stages until it progresses to an advanced stage.
Therefore, doctors recommend timely screening – especially in those that have any of the risk factors to get an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
New Delhi: Bowel cancer is a disease that begins in the large bowel – and depending on where it starts, it is known as colon or rectal cancer as well. According to the National Health Service of England, this condition is likely to affect 50 per cent of the population at least once in their life which is why it is important to be aware of its symptoms.
Despite its high survival rate of 90 per cent, bowel cancer can be detrimental if not diagnosed on time. Patients with this first stage bowel cancer are likely to survive for over five years after diagnosis; however, this rate continues to dip as the tumour spreads. Therefore, it is recommended to watch out for the early symptoms of this disease – some may appear in your excrement. Surprisingly, experts believe that these signs often get overlooked.
What are the early symptoms of bowel cancer?
Some of the most common bowel cancer symptoms that often go unnoticed appear in your bowel habits. These include:
Need to excrete more often
Frequent episodes of diarrhoea
Stomach pain after eating
Bloating after meals
Blood in stools
Other unanticipated symptoms of bowel cancer are:
Unintended weight loss
Unexplained fatigue
Anaemia
Blood in the urine
Changes in urine colour to dark, rusty or brown
A lump in the anus or rectum
Cramping
If any of these appear more than three times a week, check with your doctor.
What are the risk factors for bowel cancer?
When it comes to bowel cancer risk, some of the major risk factors include:
Smoking
Lack of exercise
High alcohol intake
Diet high in processed meat
Crohn’s disease
Family history
Inherited genetic factors
